Visible alarm for automobiles.



J. H. MILLSAPS.

VISIBLE ALARM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I4. 1915.

Patented Oct. 24,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

figzw .9 a p x M M /W Q m 1 Emma J. H. MILLSAPS.

VISIBLE ALARM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, I915.

Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

w vl'ncoom UNITED STATES PATENT oFmoE.

JEFFERSON H. MILLSAPS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

VISIBLE ALARM FOB AUTOMOBILES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEFFERSON H MILL- sAPs, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, haveinvented a new and useful Visible Alarm for Automobiles, of which thefollowingis a specification. j

The object of my invention is to provide a novel visible alarm forautomobiles by which a visible signal will be caused to oper* ate inconsequence of the starting of the vehicle by any one without authorityfrom the owner. X It is an object of my invention to provide a novelform of visible signalwhich may be displayed at either or both ends ofthe machine which will indicate that it is stolen and result in thearrest of persons driving it without authority. It is an object of myinvention to provid novel means for causing the operation of such asignal by the movement of some. part of the automobile which must beoperated to start the machine; 'to provide novel means for the lockingof such a device in operative or inoperative position; to provide novelmeans adapted to operate the means for displaying the signal in theevent that, the primary operating means should be tam pered with or thelock broken; and to provide novel means by which the device may be setto operate at a predetermined period subsequent to the starting ofthe'machine.

It is a further object of my invention to so inca'se my signal mechanismas to make its destruction diflicult and to provide signaling mechanismof-such intricacy as to discourage tampering with it and thus causepersons contemplating the theft of an automobile to choose some othermachine than one equipped with my visible alarm.

I attain the'objects of my invention by suitable mechanism such as isillustrated in the accompanyingdrawmgs, 1n which Figure 1 is a top planof the invention applied to an automobilechassls; Fig. 2 is a sectiononline 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on line 3-3 of Fig.l; I

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective show ing details of the mechanismoperated by the clutch lever; Fig. 5 is a fragmental sectional viewapproximately through the central portion of the face of the clockmechanism; Fig. 6 is a detail of the clock hand mechanism; Fig. 7 is adetail of member 40; Fig. 8 is a detail of the means for lockingSpecification of Letters Patent. Patentd'oct, 24 1916. Application filedJune 14, 1915. Serial No. 34,058.

member 31; Fig. 9 is a rear view of the automoblle showing the visiblealarm in displayed positlon; Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view of thevisible alarm signal member and Like characters of reference indicatelike parts throughout the several views.

Broadly considered, my invention comprises a visible alarm or signalingdisplay means normally retained in a non-displayed or non-signalingposition or condition;

means operatively connecting the ,visible signaling meanswith andadapted to be operated by the drive shaft of the automobile butnormallyout of operative engagement with the drive shaft or othersuitable moving olement of the vehicle; key-controlled means adapted toplace the lever or other suitable element used in starting theautomobile in operative connection with the visible signaling means toefiect its operative engagement with the drive shaft to actuate thealarm; and auxiliary operatively-dependent keycontrolled means havingmeans for regulating its time for completing operation and having anindependent key control, the said means being adapted to operativelyconnect the visible alarm or signaling means with the drive shaft in theevent of the failure of the primary operating mechanism, throughtampering or otherwise, to efiect such operative connection, or whichmay be set to operate the mechanism, if preferred, at a suitablepredetermined time subsequent to the starting of the automobile insteadof simultaneously with its starting. It iswithin the contemplation of myin-, vention to adapt mechanism to operatively connect with any suitablemoving parts or any suitable starting elements other than the specificelement shown,the drawings being merely illustrative of my preferredform of applying the invention to an automobile.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, provide a suitable visible alarmsignal 1, mounted by a. pivotal portion 2 within a suit.- able casing 3,provided with a suitable display openlng or window 5, the casing?) beingfastened to some visible portion of the automobile, such as the axle, bymetal straps 4 or other suitable means. My visible alarm signal 1 isnormally held in non-displayed position by a suitable spring 5. Suitablea suitable tube or casing to prevent its being tampered with, and may beextended toward or to casing 26, within Which is a rack 10 whichnormally is in an inoperative position. Mounted on the drive shaft D, Iprovide a. suitable gear 11 with which rack 10 may be thrown intoengagement by means-to be subsequently described. The engagement of rack10 with wheel 11 when the vehicle is started will draw the rack over,exerting a pull on cables 8 and thus causing a display of signals 1, aswill be understood by reference to Figs. 2 and 10. To insure maintenanceof the signals in displayed position after once being operated, Iprovide a suitable pawl 24, controlled by spring 25 and disposed inposition to engage catch or shoulder 62 on rack 10 and retain it thereuntil released'by the owner of the vehicle, who alone will have accessto it through door 27 which is fastened by a suitable lock indicated at28.

It is within the contemplation of my invention to provide visiblealarmsignals in position to be displayed from both the front and rear endsof-the vehicle, as indicated in Fig. 1, or the signal may be displayedat one portion of the vehicle where desired. This may be at any suitableportion of the vehicle.

To operate the foregoing mechanism, I

i provide suitable key-controlled means adapted to place the clutchlever or other suitable el'ementused in starting the automobile, inoperative connection, through the agency of rack '10 and gear 11, withthe means for operating the visible signal. The particular meansillustrated in Fig. 4 to accomplish this object consists of a suitablelug or stop 12 on rack 10, against which rod or link 13 will operatewhen pressedtoward the shouldered end of rack 10, to depress member 10in order that it may engage and be operated by gear 11. 'Gear 11 is asuitable gear provided on drive shaft D, and held in rigid engagementwith'the drive shaft. Attached to the free end of rod 13 is a link 141connecting it with bell crank 15, which in turn is operatively connectedby-member 16 with one end of pivotally mounted member 17, the other endof which is keyed or suitably attached to 90k 18. Look 18 is providedwith .a sliding olt 21, operated from'keyhole 22, any suitable lock and.key being available for the purpose, the lock mechanism not beingclaimed except as combined with other elemerits of my invention. Look 18is suitably mounted in er s 19 and is retained in its normal position byaspr1ng-20. When sliding bolt 21 has been locked in its outward positionit will be operated by a projecting portion of clutch lever C, but whenin retracted position, the operation of member 0 will not cause thesignaling mechanism to operate, as member 0 will clear lock 18.

I further provide auxiliary means adapted to operatively connect thedrive shaft with the means for displaying the visible alarm signal, thismeans however being operatively connected with rack 10, but providedwith an independent key control apart from the primary means foroperating rack 10 and further provided with mechanism by which .its timeof completing efl'ective operative of the signal should the primarymechanism be tampered with or for any reason be inoperative or be lockedin inoperative position. In the form of the invention illustrated inFig. 4, this auxiliary timecontrolled operating means is arranged tooperatively connect rack 10 with a portion of the clutch locatedsubstantially apart from. the portion adapted. to connect with slidingbolt 21. The operation of the signal is insured by such auxiliary signaloperating means in the event that the primary and more exposed mechanismshould be tampered with and rendered inoperative as well as when thelatter mechanism is intentionally set in inoperative position. As myauxiliary signal operating means has an independent key control it maybe set to operate or not as desired, and it may be also arranged tooperate at such predetermined period subsequent to the starting of theautomobile, as may be desired. The mechanism receives its impulse fromclutch lever C or such other suitable element used in starting thevehicle tively engage with slidingbolt 21 of the primary slgnaloperating means. Look 29, .which maybe any suitable lock structure (thelock itself not being claimed as my invention) is operated by a suitablekey adapted to be inserted in keyhole 30. The

bolt of the lock is adapted to be turned into.

or out of engagement with a suitable slot 32 in. a slidable rod or bar31. When in unlocked position, rod 31 is freely slidable through lock 29and consequently the operation of clutch lever C does not set in motionattached to one'end of bell crank 35. To

the other end of bell crank is attached a suitable rod or wire 36 havinga suitable spring 37 attaching it to bell crank 38. Member 38 isresiliently held in its normal position by spring 39, mounted on plate-64 covering the face of a suitable clock indicated by T. Clock T may beof any suitable construction, only the novel mechanism set forth in thedrawings, Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 11 being my invention, the rest of theclock structure being of any suitable design.

Clock T may be provided with a'suitable minute hand 44 (no hour hand isessential). Pivotally mounted in its outwardlyturned ears 42 is asuitable pivot member supported by pivot 41. Mounted in the outer end ofmember 40 is a pin 39, slidably projecting through a suitable opening inplate 64, the head of pin 30 being disposed to'engage over the adjacentend of member 38, as shown in Fig. 5. Spring 45 serves to retain theelements in normal position. I In the upturned slotted end 43 of pivotbar 40 is mounted a suitable slide hook 46, held normally as shown inFig. 6 by a suitable spring 47, one end of which is attached to a shankof the hook while the other end is disposed 7 against end portion 43.Slide 46 is normally out of engagement with circular rack 48 over whichit travels in spaced relation.

I provide means for retaining slide hook 46 in engagement with rack 48when pivot member 40 is tilted to effect such engagement. Thismeans maycomprise a pawl 50 having a shoulder 51 on which the head of pin 39 mayengage and rotate when drawn to its outer position. Spring 49 supportspawl 50 in normal position. A wire 52, disposed over suitable rollers 53and 54 connects member 50 with member 55 which may be suitable wire orother connecting element adapted to operatively connect the end of rack10 witha suitable metallic element or core 56 adapted to be magnetizedby a suitable solenoid 57 when an electric circuit is effected. Contactmembers 59 and 61 are normally out of engagement. When in contact witheach other they complete an electric circuit, and energize solenoid 57in consequence, which in turn exerts a pull on member 56. The twocontacts which are normally out of engagement are disposed in positionto converge in the event of slide hook 46 engaging rack 48, thus beingheld in stationary position while the clock hand 44 continues itstravel, the time required to bring about a meeting of contacts 59 and 61being predetermined by their normal distance apart from each other.Contact 61 is mounted on slide hook 46. Contact 59 is mounted on clockhand 44. The mechanism is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 4.- Inorder that wire 58,'-extending from contact 59 and wire 6Oextendii'1from contact 61 may not becomeentangle they are extended parallel withclock hand'44 and fastened to members 71 and 70, respectively, which aremountedon an insulated portion of the clock hand, as illustrated-in Fig.11. The clock hand 44 is mounted on a suitable arbor 65 operatedby theclock mechanism in suitable manner. Referring to Fig. 11,

member 66 is the clock-face or partition on which rack 48 is imounted.The electrical circuit which is effected by the meeting of contacts 59and 61 comprises a suitable battery B, from which extends a wire 76connecting it with brush 68. Brush 68 is disposed to contact with asuitable contact dlsk 69 secured to the arbor 65 eiiecting electricalconnection with member 7 0, from which the current may pass to'wire 60and thence to contact 61. The current asses from contact 61 throughcontact 59 when they meet) and thence to wire 58,.and from wire 58 tomember 71, and thence'to disk 72 with which member 71 contacts. Disk 7 2is mounted on arbor 65 but is insulated from it. From disk 72 thecurrent passes to brush 73, and thence to wire 74 to the solenoid 57.The circuit from solenoid 57 is completed by wire 75 which extends fromthe solenoid to the opposite side of battery B. I

Referring to Fig. 4, when rod 31 is locked in fixed position to lock 29,carried by lever C or other suitable starting element of the vehicle.operation of lever C in starting the automobile exerts a pull on rod 31,link 33,

hell crank 35, rod 36, bell crank 38 and tinues to turn. The clock handmay, for example, continue to travelfor five minutes before the signalis operated. During the five minutes the slide hook 46 is beinggradually pulled through slotted end 43 of pivot bar 40, until contact61 carried by member 46 meets contact 59 on the clock hand 44, therebyclosingthe electric circuit set forth in' the preceding paragraph, andcausing solenoid 57 to exert a pull on core 56. The latter thus, throughthe medium of member 55 connecting it with rack 10, draws rack- 10 intoengagement with gear-.11, mounted on drive shaft D, and which, ashcreinbefore described operates the visible alarm signal through themedium of cables 8. The visible alarm si nal 1 through the display of thword tolen or some similar notification,

informs the public that the automobile has been taken surreptitiously orwithout authority from the owner, and is intended to lead to the arrestof the person who has thus taken the vehicle.

5 It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shownand described is to be taken as a preferred example of thesaiifiandthatvarious changes in connecting elements, arrangement andnumber of parts may be resorted to without departing from the essence ofthe invention or the scope of the claims, and are within thecontemplation of mv invention.

What I claim is: c

1. In combination with a vehicle, a signal normally in non-displayedposition, means adapted to operatively connect such signal with thedrive shaft of the vehicle, means operatively connecting the aforesaidmeans with a starting element of the vehicle, and key-controlled meansadapted to regulate the time at which the signal shall be displayedsubsequent to starting of the vehicle.

2. In combination with a vehicle, a signal normally in non-displayedposition, key-controlled means adapted to operatively connect it with amoving element of the vehicle, auxiliary key-controlled means adapted tooperatively connect the signal with a movin element of the vehicle at apredetermine period subsequent to the starting of the vehicle,substantially as described.

3. A normally non-displayed alarm signal in combination with'meansadapted to operatively connect it with the drive shaft of a vehicle tocause its display said means being normally out of engagement with thedrive shaft, key-controlled means operatively connecting theafores'aidmeans with a starting element of the vehicle and auxiliarykeycontrolled and time regulated means operatively ,connecting theabove-described display-signal operatmg means with a starting element ofthe vehicle at a point" substan-' tially distant from thefirst-mentioned keycontrolled means.

4. 'Normally non-displayed alarm signals positioned at opposite ends ofa vehicle means adapted to operat-ively connect said signals with thedrive shaft of a vehicle to cause their display,.means operativelyconmeeting with the starting element of a vehicle to actuate same, andmeans operatively connected with the means for displaying the signals tocause their display at a variable but governable predetermined periodsubsequent to the starting of the vehicle, whereby tampering with theprimary operating means wiil not avert the display of the alarm signa s.

5. Normally non-displayed alarm signaling means positioned at one orboth ends of a vehicle, means resiliently retaining same innon-displayed position, means adapted to operatively connect the alarmsignaling means with a moving element of the vehicle to cause theirdisplay, means to actuate same on movement of a startin element of thevehicle said means having ey control, and auxiliary means operativelyconnecting the signal operating means with a starting ele- -ment of thevehicle at a separated point said means having an independent keycontrol, and time controlled means operated by the latter mechanism tocause the operation of the signaling means .at a period subsequent tothe starting of the vehicle.

' 6. In combination with a visible alarm for vehicles, means normallyout of engagement with a moving element of the vehicle and adaptedtoengage with and be operated by same to display the alarm visibly,key-controlled means adapted to operatively connect the aforesaid alarmoperating means with the moving element of the vehicle, timecontrolledmeans adapted to complete the operative connection of the aforesaidkeycontrolled means with the alarm-operating means at a'variable butgovernable predetermined time subsequent, to the starting of thevehicle.

JEFFERSON H. MILLSAPS.

